Power operated shoe polisher



Dec. 18, 1956 E. F. LISKA 2,774,088

POWER OPERATED s oE POLISHER Filed Nov. 30, 1953 fiabmd By: Em,

United States Patent This invention relates, in general, to power opera ted shoe polishers, and is particularly concerned with brush shoe polish application means and bufling means there- 1 for.

Otherwise stated, the invention is embodied in aishoe polishing mechanism having power means such as an electric motor for driving a brush to advantageously a'p ply shoe polish to leather goods such as shoes and the like, and including shoe polish bufling means either separately or directly associated with the brush shoe polish applicator means.

An important object and accomplishment of the invention is to provide a brush means effective for applica- 1 tion of shoe polish to leather goods in one operation and said brush means being adapted to carry a lambs wool bufiing means effective to polish the leather goods to which shoe polish has beenapplied by said shoe polish applicator brush means.

-An ancillary object and accomplishment of the in vention is to provide a new and improved power operated shoe polisher which is adapted to be economically manufactured and which is so designed as to permit the manufacture and assembly thereof in accordance with.

present day large scale mass production methods of construction and assembly. I w p The invention seeks, as a final object arid accomplishment, to provide a power operated shoe polisher mechanism particularly characterized by a design arrangement 'tomo're advantageously and satisfactorily perform the functions required of it and adapted to provide acompact unit which will successfully combine the factors of structural simplicity and durability, and yet be economical to manufacture.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention disclosed herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after the construction and operation are understood from the within description.

It is preferred to accomplish the various objects of 'this invention and to practice the same in substantially the manner as more fully described herein, and as more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and where- Fig. l is a side elevational view of the power operated shoe polisher embodying the features of the present invention, this view showing the shoe polish applicator brush means in its operative position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the power operated shoe polisher depicted in Fig. 1 and illustrating the lambs wool buffing means operatively associated with the brush shoe polish applicator means;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the buffing means depicted in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the hub of said shoe polish applicator brush means and illustrating the manner of securement of said brush to a shaft of the power source;

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Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the hub securing means depicted in Fig. 4 this view being taken substantially on the plane of line 5-'5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a disc-type lambs wool buffing means embodyinga feature of this invention; and

Fig. 7 is an elevational view illustrating a flexible drive shaft extension means whereby the shoe polisher applicator brush means and the buffing means may be driven when disposed remotely from the power source.

The drawing is to be understood to be more or less of a schematic character for the purpose of illustrating and disclosing a preferred form of the improvements contemplated herein, and in the drawing like reference characters identify the same parts in the several views.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig.. 1, the power operated shoe polisher mechanism with which the invention is particularly concerned is designated in its entirety by the numeral 20 and comprises, in general, a power source which may be an electric motor 21 deriving power via electric cord 31, one end of which being provided with a male plug member 32 adapted for interconnection with a conventional base plug (not shown), said motor 21 being provided with handlemeans 22 and a rotatable shaft 23, a brush indicated in its entirety by the numeral 24 carriedby said shaft 23 for rotation therewith, and a lambs wool bufiing means (Figs. 2 and 3) indicated in its entirety by the numeral 25 and arranged for mounting on said brush 24 for rotation therewith in the performance of bufling operations.

As may best be seen in Fig. l, the motor 21 is provided with a housing 27 having pads 28 and 29 to provide feet for the support of the housing when the housing is disposed on a flat surface. The housing 27 is substantially circular in form and the upper region thereof is provided with a pad 30 which is movable with respect to adjacent regions of the housing and the manual movement thereof being effective to operate an electric switch (not shown) disposed within the housing underneath the pad 30 and effective to start and stop the .motor contained in the housing 27 responsive to manual movement of the pad 30.

In operation, the user will insert the four fingers of his hand'in the area between the top of the housing 27 applying shoe polish to leather goods as desired. The brush 24 may comprise a hub 36 preferably formed of wood and having an enlarged portion 37 adapted to have secured thereto axially projecting bristles 38.

Attention is invited to Fig. 4, wherein there is disclosed the hub portion 36 of the brush 24 as being mounted on the shaft 23. In order to removably but fixedly secure the brush 24 to the shaft 23, there is provided a set screw 40 comprising knurled head 41 and screw threaded formations 42 adapted to be received into a lead insert 43 disposed in an aperture 44 of the wood hub 36.

As may best be seen in Fig. 5, the lead insert 43 is provided with a cut 48 to define relatively sharp points 45 and 46 effective to cut into adjacent portions of the aperture 44 in order to maintain said lead insert 43 in its proper position therein, this cutting and locking action being accomplished upon insertion of the threaded formations 42 into the central aperture 47 of the lead insert 43.

Attention is invited to Figs. 2 and 3 wherein the lambs 3 wool bufiing means 25 is shown operatively associated with the brush 24. The lambs wool busing m'e aiis '25 comprises a metallic tubular shaped body member 50, one end 51 of which is of slightly larger diameter than the other end 52. It can be seen that the outer end portions of the end 51 are flared outwardly as at 53 while the. endportions of the end 52 are turned inwardly as at 54. Fixedly secured to the periphery of the tubular body member 54), there is disposed lambs Wool 54'.

The lambs wool buffer is mounted on the brush 24 by first removing the brush from its normal position on the shaft 23'by loosening the set screw 40 and inserting the hub 36 in the end 51 of the tubular member Stland pushing the brush inwardly through the body' member until the enlarged portion'37 of the brush hubt36 is in friction interengagement with the inner peripheral surface of the tubular member 50 whereupon the buffer 25 and the brush 24 will become wedged together. hub 36 is then placed in itslnormal operativeposition on the shaft 23 and the set screw 49 is tightened. Now the butter will rotate responsive, to applieatio'n of electric power to the motor 21fby manual operation of the plate 34') as hereinbefore described.

The

The lambs wool buffer 25. may be conveniently re- Y moved from the brush by again removing the hub from the shaft and placing the fiat end portions of the hub 36 on a flat surface and pushing downwardly; upon the end portions 51 of the tubularmember, which will cause disengagement of the brushwith respect togthe innerperiphery of the tubular shaped body 50. I

In Fig. 6 there is d closed a disc-type butter-which may comprise a generally circular disc 60 preferably formed of leather to provide flexibility, saiduleathelr disc being securely mounted on a hub 61 having the same structural features as the hub 36 hereinbeforedesc'ribed, and a lambs wool pad 62 removably carried by the leather disc 60. In some applications it may be advisable to employ the lambs wool buffer as shown in Fig. 6 instead of the lambs wool buffer as shown in Fig. 2.

Attention is invited to Fig. 7, wherein there is disclosed drive extension means generally indicated in its entirety by the numeral 70 and comprising connector means 71 carried by the shaft 23, handlexgrip means 72, and interconnecting said connecting means 71"'ancl the handle 72 there is provided a flexible cable 73 having disposed therein rotatable shaft means 74.. 'An extreme end 75 of the shaft '73 projects. outwardly from the handle grip means 72 so that the brush 2'4 may be suitably mounted thereupon. I

Because of its simple construction, the power operated shoe polisher mechanism contemplated herein economical to manufacture and is readily adaptable to a mass production manufacturing methods. I

From the foregoing disclosure, it may be observed that I have provided a power operated shoe ,gpolislfer mechanism which efliciently fulfills the objects ash reinbefore set forth and which provides numerous advantages which may be summarized as follows:

l. Structurally simple, eflicient and durablej 2.' Economical to manufacture and readily adaptable to mass production manufacturing principles; and

3. The provision of a power operated shoe polisher having both shoe polish applicator brush means and lambs wool bufiing means operatively associated with said brush means.

While I have illustrated preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without detapered rigid tubular-shaped body so that one end there} 7 of is of larger diameter. than the other, lambs wool means fixedly secured to the outer'periphery of said 'tubularshaped body, and said brush being disposed'iii said tubular-shaped body and said enlarged portion pf said hubib'eing' in frictional interengagement with the inner periphery of said tubular-shaped body whereby said buffer and brush will rotate in unison. I i

2, For a power operated shoe polisher, a rotatable combination shoe polish applicator means and a buffer, said shoe fpolish applicator means comprising abrush haying'a hub with axially extending bristles fitted thereupon, said hub having an enlarged portion extending in a radial direction, and said butter means comprising a tapered rigid tubular-shaped body, lambs wool means fixedly secured to the outer periphery of said tubularshapedbodyfand said enlarged portion of said hub bein frictional intereng'agement with the inner periphery of said tubular-shaped body to maintain said buffer in joperative association "with said brush.

References Cited in the file of this patent STATES PAT ENTS 

